In Pennsylvania, news of spills, blowouts, accidents, and violations have been so common that they are hardly news any longer.

To the Editor:

As Syracuse Common Councilors tremendously proud of our city, we are pleased that President Obama chose to visit this week, casting a national spotlight on Syracuse and the surrounding region. As individuals who have each spent much of our careers focusing on the environment and clean water, we urge President Obama to carefully consider the science on fracking and reevaluate his position.

Syracuse, of course, has some of the best drinking water in the country. It is among the many things residents are rightfully proud of. Clean water and the accompanying beautiful natural environment throughout the region are among our key economic drivers, supporting tourism, agriculture, wineries and breweries, and a high quality of life in upstate New York. They are our priceless assets that have provided a stable economic foundation even in the hardest of economic times.

These are among the reasons why the prospect of fracking has been met with so much resistance in Central New York, resistance which has grown hand in hand with awareness and education about the science and track record of the process. Put simply, the more New Yorkers have learned about fracking, the more they oppose it.

Across the border in Pennsylvania, news of spills, blowouts, accidents, and violations have been so common that they are hardly news any longer. A growing body of peer-reviewed science demonstrates inherent problems ranging from underground migration of methane and other chemicals, dangerous air pollution that threatens people's health and significant climate impacts that undermine any potential benefit over coal or oil.

Meanwhile, the oil and gas industry has sought political influence and fought transparency every step of the way. From refusing to disclose chemicals used in the process, to making victims sign nondisclosure agreements as part of settlements, to getting gag orders on doctors who treat patients harmed by fracking operations, the industry has done everything it can to thwart science.

Nevertheless, the truth about fracking is coming out more and more quickly, and it's not good. This spring, for instance, the Scranton Times-Tribune revealed that the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has records of at least 161 cases of water contamination in homes, farms, churches, and businesses between 2008 and the fall of 2012.

In areas with significant fracking development, air pollution and smog is becoming a serious health threat. Not surprisingly, the number of people reporting negative health impacts is rapidly growing and a cause for great alarm. Such serious concerns about our health, air, water, and economy led Syracuse to pass a ban on fracking in 2012 - unanimously. To date, more than 170 New York towns and cities have passed bans or moratoria on fracking, all with careful consideration of the scientific facts and significant public input.

We hope this is not lost on President Obama as he undertakes his bus tour of upstate New York. We hope he takes the time to appreciate the beauty of our landscape, the value of our environment and clean water for the economy, and the fact that so many New Yorkers have stood up against fracking after careful evaluation of the science and the facts.

We hope the President will do the same, and apply it across the country. His support for fracking threatens to seriously undermine his economic initiatives, the health and well-being of untold millions of Americans, and his bold promises on climate change.

Kathleen Joy and Jean Kessner,
Councilors-at-Large
Syracuse Common Council